Drinking glass scrubbing and cleaning implement



0. A. LAIRD Sept. 14, 1965 DRINKING GLASS SCRUBBING AND CLEANING IMPLEMENT Filed Feb. 28, 1964 Owen A. Laird IN VE N TOR.

W MW United States Patent 3,205,527 DRINKING GLASS SCRUBBING AND CLEANING IMPLEMENT Owen A. Laird, Davis Lane, Godfrey, Hl. Filed Feb. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 348,079 2 Claims. (Cl. 15-244)- The present invention relates to a simple, Practical, easy-to-use implement which is expeditiously and manually usable for effectively scrubbing and cleaning the essential. surfaces of a drinking glass or an equivalent utensil.

Briefly, the implement comprises an elongated sponge or an equivalent member which constitutes a head. This head, more particularly, comprises a rectangular compressibly resilient sponge which is centrally bifurcated. The resulting furcations constitute squeegee-like applicators. These applicators are mounted on the median and free end portions of the limbs of a U-shaped handle and are yieldingly pressed together by the coacting limbs whereby to straddle the wall of the drinking glass and to, in this manner, scrub and clean interior and exterior surfaces, as well as the interior of the bottom, all at the same time.

An object of the invention is to provide an implement which enables the user to hold and turn the drinking glass with one hand and to apply and properly position the scrubbing and wiping applicators while holding the implement with the other hand. Conversely the drinking glass can be held stationary and the implement can be moved in a orbital path therearound, whereby to achieve the result desired and depending upon ones experience in doing so.

In carrying out a preferred embodiment of the invention the handle comprises a onepiece band of suitable non-corrodible metal or plastic material which is bent upon itself intermediate its ends to provide a U-shaped unit. This unit embodies a bight portion at the upper end connecting the legs or limbs which latter are possessed of the inherent resilient properties necessary to normally spring the limbs toward each other. These limbs are axially embedded for their major portions in the blocklike sponge, more particularly, in the rectangular furcations which function as and provide the desired glassstraddling applicators.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective showing a conventional drinking glass and showing, what is more important, the scrubbing and cleaning implement constructed in accordance with the invention and showing it attached to the wall or rim of the glass in readiness for use;

FIGURE 2 is a central longitudinal. sectional view with the U-shaped handle appearing in elevation; and

FIGURE 3 is a section taken on the plane of the section line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

By way of introduction to the description of the details it will be evident that although the implement is such in construction and adaptability that it is capable of being satisfactorily used to scrub and clean dishes, cups, mugs and similar utensils it is ideal when used to clean a transparent or an equivalent drinking glass as at A in FIG. 1. The drinking glass comprises the customary cylindrical upstanding wall B and bottom C. The implement when used in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 serves to simultaneously act on interior and exterior surfaces of 3,205,527 Patented Sept. 14, I965 the cylinder B and also the interior or upper surface of the bottom C.

The improved implement is characterized by two component parts; namely, a structurally novel head 4 and an attached handle or handle means 6. The handle means comprises a strap of suitable width and cross-section made from metal or plastic material and possessed of the desired inherent resilient properties. It is U-shaped and accordingly embodies a curved bight portion 8 and a pair of opposed spaced parallel limbs or legs 10 and 12, respectively. The median and lower portions of these legs or limbs are embedded axially and against rotation in the component portions of the head 4. More specifically, the head comprises an elongated or rectangular block-like sponge the upper end of which is denoted at 14 and the lower end at 16. This sponge is split or bifurcated as denoted at 18 and with the bifurcation centrally positioned and terminating short of the top 14 two duplicate rectangular block-like applicators 20 and 22 are provided. More particularly, the median and lower portions 24 of the limbs extend down through the top 14 and are axially molded or keyed in the respective jaw-like applicators 20 and 22. The upper exposed portion of the inverted U provides the handle and facilitates holding and using thereof by the user. When the implement is being used the applicators or jaws 20 and 22 are slightly spread apart to bring the opposed scrubbing, cleaning and wiping surfaces 26 and 28 into play. This is to say the applicators straddle the wall B with the surfaces 26 and 28 contacting interior and exterior sides of the wall simultaneously. The bottom of the enclosed applicator 20 resides upon the top surface of the glass bottom C. Accordingly, the user can simultaneously scrub and clean both interior and exterior surfaces of the body or cylinder B and bottom C.

Assuming that the compressibly resilient jaw-like applicators 20 and 22 have been positioned to straddle the body B of the drinking glass they will, of course, be in the position illustrated in FIGURE 1 in particular. With the glass submerged in wash water in a sink or a similar receptacle the desired scrubbing and washing step can be carried out. In some instances the glass will be held and the implement moved around it and in other instances, the implement 6 will be held in one hand and the glass 6 in the other hand and moved between the surfaces 26 and 28.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A manually usable surface cleaning implement comprising an elongated onepiece sponge constituting a cleaning head, said sponge having its major portion longitudinally centrally bifurcated, the bifurcations providing a pair of elongated jaw-like applicators, said applicators being substantially rectangular in cross-section and providing opposed faces, one face adapted to contact an interior surface of the article being cleaned, the other face being adapted to simultaneously contact the exterior surface of said article, and a carrying and operating handle for said head comprising an inverted U-shaped member, said member being made of resilient material and embodying a pair of opposed spaced parallel limbs having corresponding upper ends joined together by an intervening arcuate bight portion, the free ends and median portions of said limbs being wholly embedded and concealed axially and lengthwise in their respective applicators, the inherent resilient properties of said bight portion and limbs functioning to constantly urgeand yieldingly maintain the opposed cleaning faces in scrubbing and cleaning contact with the surfaces of said article. sandwiched therebetween, said limbs having lower free ends terminating short ofand being spaced above the corresponding plane of the lower ends of the respective applicators, said U- shaped member being made from a single strap of material bent upon itself intermediate its ends, said limbs being rectangular .in cross-section and flat-faced whereby to prevent the likelihood of turning and axial twisting of the embedded limb portions in their respective applicators.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and wherein said applicators are of a length greater than the depth of the article which is being scrubbed and cleaned, the transverse cross-section vof said limbs being of a dimension that said opposed faces are of a width vertically and horizontally less than the diameter of the article, drinking UNITED STATES [PATENTS 1,922,450 8/33 OBrien 15 244 1,936,259 11/33 Partner 15101 X 2,084,485 6/37 Fink H--. 15-244 2,250,374 7/41 Hays 152l0.2 2,506,075 5/50 Fleury 1575 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

WALTER A. SCHEEL,-Examiner. 

1. A MANUALLY USABLE SURFACE CLEANING IMPLEMENT COMPRISING AN ELONGATED ONEPIECE SPONGE CONSTITUTING A CLEANING HEAD, SAID SPONGE HAVING ITS MAJOR PORTION LONGITUDINALLY CENTRALLY BIFURCATED, THE BIFURCATIONS PROVIDING A PAIR OF ELONGATED JAW-LIKE APPLICATORS, SAID APPLICATORS BEING SUBSTANTIALY RECTANGULAR IN CROSS-SECTION AND PROVIDING OPPOSED FACES, ONE FACE ADAPTED TO CONTACT AN INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE ARTICLE BEING CLEANED, THE OTHER FACE BEING ADAPTED TO SIMULTANEOUSLY CONTACT THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID ARTICLE, AND A CARRYING AND OPERATING HANDLE FOR SAID HEAD COMPRISING AN INVERTED U-SHAPED MEMBER, SAID MEMBER BEING MADE OF RESILIENT MATERIAL AND EMBODYING A PAIR OF OPPOSED SPACED PARALLEL LIMBS HAVING CORRESPONDING UPPER ENDS JOINED TOGETHER BY AN INTERVENING ARCUATE BIGHT PORTION, THE FREE ENDS AND MEDIAN PORTIONS OF SAID LIMBS BEING WHOLLY EMBEDDED AND CONCEALED AXIALLY AND LENGTHWISE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE APPLICATIONS THE INHERENT RESILIENT PROPERTES OF SAID BIGHT PORTION AND LIMBS FUNCTIONING TO CONSTANTLY URGE AND YIELDINGLY MAINTAIN THE OPPOSED CLEANING FACES IN SCRUBBING AND CLEANING CONTACT 